All Rise...

Editor's Note

The Charge

"A masterpiece of propaganda, a first-class production which no doubt
will make a certain impression upon the broad masses of the people in enemy
countries."—Joseph Goebbels

Opening Statement

While technically Rebecca was
Hitchcock's first American movie, he never quite felt it was his picture.
Producer David O. Selznick kept a close eye on the proceedings, and the result
is more his vision of the story than Hitchcock's. Follow-up Foreign
Correspondent, in sharp contrast, is quintessential Hitchcock—with an
average guy thrust into a volatile situation, along with a number of stunning
set pieces. There's also a slightly subversive theme at work in the movie, as
Hitchcock, along with producer Walter Wanger, serve notice to America that
remaining on the sidelines won't be a viable option when war inevitably breaks
out.

Criterion brings before us Foreign Correspondent (Blu-ray).

Facts of the Case

With Europe on the brink of war, the editors at the New York Globe are
fed up with their regular foreign correspondents, who simply transmit government
press releases without any research or analysis. So they pluck upstart crime
reporter Johnny Jones (Joel McCrea, Sullivan's Travels) from the city
beat, give him the unlikely pen name "Huntley Haverstock," and ship
him off to Europe. His first assignment is to interview Stephen Fisher (Herbert
Fisher, The Little Foxes), the leader of the Universal Peace Party. En
route, Jones shares a cab with the Dutch diplomat van Meer (Albert Basserman, The Red Shoes), the guest of honor at a
UPP banquet.

Jones gets a couple of words with Fisher, but is quickly distracted by
Fisher's daughter Carol (Laraine Day, Calling Dr. Kildare). To make
matters worse, van Meer disappears from the banquet, piquing Jones' curiosity.
Learning that van Meer is scheduled to appear at a political conference in
Amsterdam. Jones catches up to van Meer on the steps leading into the
conference. Van Meer acts as though he's never seen Jones before, but before
Jones can investigate, a photographer suddenly guns van Meer down in front of a
large crowd. Racing after the gunman, Jones commandeers a car—which turns
out to contain Carol and another reporter, Scott Ffolliott (George Sanders, The Lady Eve). When the gunman's car
seemingly disappears amidst a group of windmills, Jones sends the others to get
the police, while he pokes around. Finding the getaway car in one of the
windmills, Jones investigates, sneaking through the windmill, past the gunman
and several others, he ducks into a room—only to be confronted with a very
live, albeit heavily drugged, van Meer.

Jones quickly discovers that he is in over his head, dodging assassins at
every turn, and all the evidence points towards an emerging spy network that has
been betraying both Britain and the Netherlands to Germany. With Carol, he flees
to England, hoping to get assistance from Carol's father. Romance blossoms as
they cross the Channel, but as tensions boil over in Europe, Jones races to get
to the bottom of the story.

The Evidence

As good as the movie is as a straight thriller, Joseph Goebbels knew what he
was talking about when he praised the film as "a masterpiece of
propaganda." It's through the lens of history that you can better
appreciate what Hitchcock pulls off here. Filming took place in early 1940.
World War II had begun, but at that point Hitler was focused on the European
mainland; the movie's August release date came only weeks after bombs began
falling on London. Back in America, there was still a strong isolationist
movement that wanted nothing to do with the war—the film industry was
toeing the same line. The movie even goes so far as to use a U.S. neutrality law
as a plot point towards the end of the film.

The result is a thriller that plays as an allegory of American foreign
policy. Initially, Johnny Jones (an American name if ever there was one), isn't
that interested in the impending war; he's more interested in his expense
account and is easily distracted by a pretty face. However, the European
conflict inexorably drags him in, and when the dust settles, there's nothing
left but all out commitment, as only an American can. The final
scene—added at the last minute—is as rousing a call to action as
you're likely to see.

Foreign Correspondent has a number of classic Hitchcock
scenes—chief of which has to be Jones' journey through the windmill,
ducking in and out of the shadows, in and around the mill gears. It's not only
wonderfully blocked, but also wonderfully filmed. Easily the most impressive
technical accomplishment is the plane crash at the end of the movie; I won't do
into details, but even twenty-first-century viewers are likely to be
impressed.

Trivia: Hitchcock initially wanted Gary Cooper as the lead, but Cooper
refused. In later years Cooper said that he always regretted turning down the
part.

More Trivia: Stebbins, the foreign correspondent who welcomes Jones to
Britain, is played by Robert Benchley, noted humorist, one of the film's
screenwriters, and father of author Peter Benchley (Jaws).

Technically, Foreign Correspondent (Blu-ray) Criterion Collection is
a marvel. While the restoration is far from perfect—there are a still some
occasional blips and scratches—the video is a marvel, with excellent depth
and contrast, and almost no back crush. Grain is prevalent—a lot of
grain, actually—but it does not detract. You can even make out the finer
details in the costumes. The LPCM Mono uncompressed audio track is clear, if
occasionally a bit tinny at times.

There's a solid set of extras, some created specifically for this
release:

• A 20-minute interview with effects expert Craig
Barron—nothing earth-shattering here, but it's a fairly detailed
discussion of some of the tricks used in the film.

• "Hollywood Propaganda and World War II," a
30-minute-plus interview with writer Mark Harris, this piece provides good
background for the film.

• Dick Cavett interview with Alfred Hitchcock from a 1972 episode
of The Dick Cavett Show; actually, it's pretty much the entire episode,
close to an hour long. The two discuss various aspects of Hitchcock's career;
only a small amount of time is devoted to Foreign Correspondent.

• A radio adaptation of the film from 1946, starring Joseph
Cotton, about 25 minutes long

• "Have You Heard? The Story of Wartime Rumors," a 1942
Life magazine "photo-drama" by Hitchcock. Basically a story
told with photos and captions, it's a great example of Hitchcock's skill in
manipulating the audience.

• A booklet featuring an essay by film scholar James Naremore

• A full-length commentary track would have been a welcome
addition, particularly given the historic context of the movie, but that's a
fairly petty quibble. Still apart from the visual effects, there's not a lot of
information on the production itself.

The Rebuttal Witnesses

The plot is perhaps too complicated for its own good, with twists, turns, and
nominal star Joel McCrea disappearing for an extended stretch. While McCrea and
Laraine Day have good chemistry, their romance is one of the more contrived,
rushed scenes in the film (supposedly, it was based on Hitchock's own proposal
to his wife Alma). The tonal shifts in the movie can be somewhat jarring,
particularly the patriotic ending—but damned if the ending isn't
effective.

Closing Statement

It's hard to properly place Foreign Correspondent in the Hitchcock
pantheon, as it's the closest thing to a "message" film that Hitch
ever made. While all Hitchcock films have the odd narrative hiccup or two, here
they're more pronounced. At the same time, though, the timing of the picture,
and the deftness with which Hitchcock weaves the message, is pretty
impressive.